Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has alleged that the recent abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in parts of Oyo State may have been orchestrated to embarrass President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during a televised interview, Fayose questioned the response of the Oyo State Government to the incident and suggested that political motives could have influenced the handling of the crisis.
His comments came in the wake of Friday’s kidnapping of pupils and teachers by armed men in some local government areas of Oyo State, an incident that sparked nationwide concern and drew intervention from the Federal Government.
Following the abduction, President Tinubu sent a high-powered delegation to the affected communities and assured residents that efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the victims.
Fayose, however, argued that state governments should take primary responsibility for security challenges within their jurisdictions rather than immediately directing blame at the Federal Government.
“Before you get to the President in the hierarchy of governance, there are local governments and states. States have security votes and officials responsible for maintaining security,” he said.
The former governor also criticised Governor Seyi Makinde’s response to the incident, alleging that the governor focused on political activities while the crisis unfolded.
According to Fayose, Makinde proceeded with party nomination activities despite the abduction and only visited affected families after the political exercise had been concluded.
“In Oyo State, I strongly believe, though I might be wrong, that this could have been orchestrated. The governor was conducting nominations for himself and his candidates in the midst of the abduction,” he said.
“He did not take immediate action. It was only after those nominations that he visited the affected families.”
Fayose further claimed that the incident may have been designed to portray the Federal Government in a negative light.
“I sometimes believe that the abduction at the Oyo school was orchestrated by the Oyo State Government to blackmail President Tinubu,” he stated.
Neither Governor Makinde nor the Oyo State Government had responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.
The abduction has continued to generate reactions from political stakeholders and security experts, with renewed calls for stronger measures to address insecurity and safeguard schools across the country.